Safety device for elevators.



Patented Feb. 25, |902.

w. H. wlLsEY. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATURS.

` (Applimion med Nov. 9,1901.)

(No Model.)

l m l Tu NGRms PEYERS co. nom-Limo., wAsHmuTcu. D. cf

f is closed.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM II. wILsEY, or SIOUX CITY, IowA.

SFETYDEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,936, dated February 25, 1902.

Application filed November 9 1901. Serial No. 81,745- (No model.)

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WILsE'Y, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of` Iowa, have invented new and useful Improve-` ments iu Safety Devices for Elevators, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to safety devices for elevators; and one of the objects of the invention is to provide simple, efficient, and inexpensive mechanism which is operable when the elevator car or cage is at rest in line with a floor to permit the entrance or departure of a passenger, to prevent the accidental starting of said car, the ascent or descent of said car being positively prevented until the door of the elevator casing or well is fully closed, and to prevent the opening of said door until the car comes to a stop in line with said door, and these safety devices can be easily and quickly applied to elevators of existing types.

The invention includes as one of its features, and in combination with an elevatorcar and its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a yieldable latch for holding the door closed, a controller on the car, and means operative with said latch for holding the controller in a predetermined position when said door is opened, this position being` in the present case that which the controller takes for stopping the car, and these several The yieldable latch consists in the present instance of a spring adapted to engage a turning bar on said door, while the controller, which is employed for starting and stopping the car, has a grooved member movable therewith and into the groove of which a projection or pin on the spring-latch is thrust when the bar is turned to open the door, so that when this relation ensues the controller cannot be actuated, nor can it be until the door Another feature is the provision of means movable With the controller for preventing the action ofl said latch for opening the door until the controllerlias been brought to a posi' tion to arrest the ascent or descent of said car, and these means may consist of stop devices carried by the grooved member, to which reference has hereinbefore been made, and said stop devices when the controller is in any other than a position to secure the stoppage of the car are disposed in the path 'of the pin on said spring-latch. Means are also provided for' insuring the working relation between the grooved member on the springlatch while theV door is open. The invention includes other'objects and advantages, which with the foregoing will be set forth at lengthin the following description, While its novelty will form the basis of the claims appended to said description, and said invention is clearly represented inthe accompanying drawings,forming a part of this` specification, and in which- Figure l is a sectional plan View of a portion of an elevator having my improvements, with the door of the casing or shaft shown closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the door open. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevah tion. Fig. is a detail perspective view of the locking-bai and .coacting parts. Fig. 5 is a similar View of the controller and certain cooperating parts carried by the elevator-car.

Like characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

l desire to state that the invention is not limited to the construction disclosed by the following description and the accompanying drawings, for many and material changes may be made without departing from the scope of my claims. i

Referring to the drawings, A indicates an elevator car or cage mounted for ascending and descending movement in thecasing or well B, the latter having an opening, as 2, by

which access may be had to the car and which is normally closed by the door 3, and the latter in the present case is of the sliding type, and it may be opened and closed by com pressed air or other automatic agents, although no mechanism is shown for this pur pose, as the same forms no part of the inven-l tion, or those operations can be secured by hand. A horizontally-disposed bracket or ledge, as 4, extends entirely across the door and projects beyond the same at one side, (herein shown as the left,) said bracket or ledge being 'situated at a suitable height and constituting a convenient support for the locking-bar 5. Said bar 5 is encircled by guides, as 6, which may consistof eyes or IOO , ever, in line.

staples suitablyT secured to the upper side of the bracket and in which the locking-bar rotates. The said locking-bar has at one end (herein shown as the left) a flat face 7 and a shoulder 8 at the inner end of said flat face, and the free end of a yieldable latch 9 is adapted normally to bear against this flat face and against or in proximity to the outer face of the shoulder 8. The yieldable latch is shown as consisting of an elongated vertically-disposed stiff spring fastened at its lower end within the casing B at or near the floor-line. As the door 3'is opened by pushing the same toward the left, it will be evident that when the free end of the latch 9 is against the face 7 the door 3 cannot be opened, for the mo ment the door is pushed toward the left the shoulder S will strike said spring-latch. The bar 5 has at its extreme left and in alinement with the fiat face 7 the perpendicular or right-angular extension 10,which when the said bar is turned is adapted to engage the upper free end of the spring-latch and, acting as a crank, push said free end inward and out of the path of the shoulder 8, so that the door 3 can be slid open; but, as will hereinafter appear, this operation can only be secured by the elevator attendant when the car is at a standstill opposite the opening 2.

The car A, which may be operated by any suitable power, carries a control1er,'as I1,by which the power can be applied for starting said car or thrown od for stopping the saine, and said controller is shown as consisting of a lever carried by the rock-shaft12 on said car and operatively connected to the motor; but as the motor and these connections form no part of the invention they are not illustrated. The controller has a handle 13, and when it is in a vertical position this secures a stoppage of the car, as usual. tion with the controller I provide a member, as 14, which is suitably fastened at its lower end to the rock-shaft 12, so as to move in unison with said controller. It will be seen that said part 14 is outside the car, while the controller 11 is inside said car, they being, how- The member 14 has a longitudinal grooved or channeled body, as 15, and wings, as 16, extending oppositely from said body, the latter serving as stops, as will hereinafter appear, it being seen, therefore, that the part 14 is in the nature of a combined catch and stop member.

The turning bar 5 has at or near the end thereof opposite that carrying the angular extension l0 the handle 16', by which said bar can be readily manipulated, and said bar nor-v mally occupies a position with said handle in contact with the lug 17 on the door, being held in this position by the coiled spring 18, encircling said bar, one end of the spring being connected with the bar, while the other is connected with the bracket or ledge 4. When the handle 16 is graspedand pulled down, the bar 5 will be rotated in its bearings so as to force the extension 10 against the latch 9, as here- In connecinbefore stated, and the moment the handle is freed the spring 18 will oppositely rotate the bar 5 and until the handle 16 strikes the lug 17. It will be assumed that the elevatorcar A has been stopped opposite a floor, the controller 11 thereby occupying a vertical position and bringing the grooved member into a similar position. Therefore when the bar 5 is operated by pulling the handle 16 downwardly the extension 10 will engage the latch 9, so as to carry a projection or pin 19 von said latch into the groove or channel of the body 15. The door 3 can then be opened to permit passengers to enter or depart from the car. The horizontal bracket or ledge performs an important function, for it is adapted as soon as the door is opened to engage the upper end of the spring-latch and hold the pin thereon in said groove. From this it will be understood that while the pin is in the groove the controller cannot be operated, so that passengers can freely enter or depart from the car without possibility of the same being prematurely started. The left end of the bracket or ledge 4 is slightly beveled, as at 20, so as to insure the proper contact between the ledge and the catch when the door is being opened. As soon as the extension 10 passes 0E the latch the ledge or bracket engages the same, so that atl the conclusion of the first-named operation the elevator conductor can release th'e bar, which is instantly returned to its primary position by the spring 18, the ledge thereafter holding the pin 19 and part 15 in proper relation. door 3 is closed, the latch 9 byits own action springs to a vertical position, and thereby carries the pin 19 out of the groove in the part 15, so that the controller 1l can be operated to start the car.

The plates or wings 16, which extend laterally from the grooved body 15, serve to pre vent the spring-latch 9 from being operated to effect the release of the door except when the controller is in its central or vertical position, which it assumes when the car is stoppedi When the controller is moved either to the right or to the left to start the car or when it is in either of these positions just prior to the stoppage of the car, one or the other of these wings or plates will be disposed inthe path of the pin 19, so as to arrest the motion of said pin, and thereby the latch 9, when an attempt is made to operate said latch to secure the release of the door. As soon, however, as the car is stopped the groove in the body 15 will be in a position to receive said pin to secure the opening of said door.

In all elevators, When the saine are not When the kept in perfect working order, there is a tendency to creep or, as is termed in the art, to sneakthat is to say, in such elevators there is a tendency for the elevator to voluntarily slowly move in an upward ordownward direction after the elevator has been brought to a state of rest and before the operator again starts it in motion. By causing vthe groove 15 in the sai'l'ety member 14. to extend from end to end of said member should such creeping or sneaking movement take place it cannot possibly result in any injury to said safety device.

Having described the invention, what I claim is l. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having a door-opening, a door, a bar on said door, a yieldable latch for engaging said bar, a controller on said car, and means operative with said latch for holding the controller in a predetermined position when said door is opened or unlocked.

2. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a bar on said door, a yieldable latch for engaging said bar,'a 'controller on said car, a device movable With the controller',

having a groove, and a projection on said latch for entering said groove.

3. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having a door-opening, a door, a bar on said door mounted for turning movement, a spring-latch for engagingsaid bar, a controller on the car, and means operative with said latch for holding the controller in a predetermined position.

4. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, adoor for said opening, a bar on said door,- a yieldable latch for engaging said bar,'a controller on the elevator-car, and means operative with the controller for preventing Vthe operation of said latch except when the controller is in a certain position.'`

6. The combination of `an elevator-carand its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a spring-latch for holding said-door shut and having a projection, a controller on the car, and a device operative with said'controller having a seat to receive said projection.

6. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a spring-latch automatically movable into position to hold said door, and a controller on said car adapted'to be held in a certain position by said yieldable latch.

7. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, la door for said opening, a turning bar carried by the door and having a shoulder, a latch for engaging said shoulder to thereby hold the door shut, a 4controller on said car and means upon said bar for actuating the latch and putting it into.

the door shut and movable into position to arrest the operation of the controller, and means upon said bar for actuating said latch.

9. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a controller on said car, a latch for holding the door shut, means operative with the controller forholding the latch against movement except when said controller is at a position to stop the car, a device connected' controller occupies positions other than that` assumed for stopping a car.

l1. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a lever on the car, a rock-shaft for carrying said lever, a member on said rockshaft having a groove, and a yieldable latch for holding the door shut andhaving a pin for entering said groove.

12. The combination of an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a bracket on the door, a turning bar supported by said bracket, a yieldable latch for holding the doer shut by engaging said bar and the latter serving to actuate the latch to throw it into its ineective position and said bracket serving to hold the latch in such position, a controller on the car, and means operative with the controller adapted to be engaged by the latch when it is thus actuated.

13. The combination of-an elevator-car and its casing having an opening, a door for said opening, a bracket on the door, a vturning bar supported by said bracket, a yieldable latch 'for holding the door shut by engaging said bar and the latter servingto actuate the latch to throw it into its ineiective position IOO IIO

and said bracket serving to hold the latch in such position, a controller on the car, means operative with the controller adapted to be engaged by thelatch When it is thusactuated, and a coiled spring surrounding said bar and connected thereto and also to the bracket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- HGSSGS. l

WILLIAM H. VtTILSEY.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM CHAiu-inn,l C. W. TAYLOR. 

